Madison County Open Farm Day showcases local farms (video)

Saturday morning's steady rains were a welcome sight to many area farmers, but their long-awaited arrival was bad timing for those opening up their farms, barns, and fields to the public for the Madison County Open Farm Day.

This year, hundreds of families and individuals, many with GPS devices in hand, drove through Madison County roads visiting participating farms. For the animal lovers, you could get up close and personal with elk, chickens, buffalo, alpacas, miniature horses, sheep, beef cattle, miniature donkeys and many varieties of dairy cows.

At the Amore Mini Donkey Farm in Cazenovia, owner Sara Pushlar greeted her guests as they inquisitively petted the miniature donkeys she raises.

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"We have about 50 miniature donkeys at a time," Pushlar said. "As you can see, they are fantastic with children." Many children instantly fell in love with these small, yet loveable animals as they walked around the Fenner Road farm.

Pushlar raises the animals both for pets and breeding. She has customers in the U.S, but has also sold her miniature donkeys as far away as Canada and France. "There is nothing quite like a miniature donkey. They are great with children, the elderly and the handicapped. You just have to have one to understand," she said.

Pushlar's husband operates a 500-acre dairy farm with about 150 dairy cows on their Cazenovia farm as well, but on Open Farm Day, the big draw for visitors was definitely her animals.

North of the Amore Mini Donkey Farm, visitors also found another unique Madison County farm - Empire Buffalos. Located on Falls Road in Fenner, owners Joseph Lazarsky and Eileen Randolph opened their 90-acre buffalo farm and introduced individuals to the taste of bison meat for the first time.

"I was skeptical at first, but after I tried it, I must say it is far more delicious than any beef I have ever tasted," said Joel DeFranco of Canastota. "I know I will be planning this in to more menus."

DeFranco was one of hundreds of visitors to Empire Buffalo Saturday.

Susan Beattie, director of the Beattie Sanctuary in Cazenovia, was on hand to explain the many benefits of bison. "Buffalo meat is lower in fat and cholesterol than both beef and chicken," Beattie told a small audience gathered to sample this product. "It is also high in protein and vitamin B-12."

Beattie demonstrated how to successfully cook bison. "Since it is lower in fat, it needs to be cooked rare to medium rare to prevent overcooking." Once tasting the meat, many visitors made their first bison meat purchase that same day.

If fruits, vegetables, plants and nursery stock were more to your liking, greenhouses and Christmas tree farms in Canastota, vineyards in Cazenovia, orchards in Hamilton and even a mushroom farm in Lebanon, combined with numerous vegetable farms and fruit stands, could have occupied many hours of your time during the six-hour program.

"This is the second year that my husband and I have done this. I wish the weather had been a little better today, but I really enjoyed it," Marjorie Cole of Morrisville said.